Doherty, GarethZhang, Yuqi2025-09-1820252025-05-212025Zhang, Yuqi. 2025. Arrival Lands: For Both Space Pioneers and Pioneer Species. Masters Thesis, Harvard Graduate School of Design.32044131https://dash.harvard.edu/handle/1/42719816This thesis designs a new network of productive public spaces on Shenzhen’s outskirts and within its urban parks. As a rapidly urbanizing city, Shenzhen hosts numerous spontaneous farmlands on its periphery, cultivated by rural migrants lacking secure land tenure. These socio-ecological oases highlight the potential for more resilient use of underutilized urban spaces by humans and non-humans. Unlike typical urban areas with fixed land ownership and assigned programs, these spaces embrace the evolving dynamics of people and environment. My goal is to harness this model, enhance its accessibility for public use (as a form of conservation), and implement it within public parks. By accepting the spontaneity of the prototypes, improving their integration within the urban landscape, and providing public access, their introduction into parks will refresh and revitalize the urban center. Ultimately, this project envisions a network of welcoming Arrival Lands for diverse users within Shenzhen’s dense urban fabric.application/pdfenRural migrantsSpontaneous farmlandUnderutilized urban spacesUrbanizationLandscape architectureThesis or Dissertation2025-09-18